The Daily Caller asked former Dean campaign manager Joe Trippi for his thoughts on a potential Dean campaign. Trippi emphasized that he does not know Dean’s thinking on a run, though predicted the Democratic Party base would be excited about it.

“I think many on the left would rally to his candidacy should he decide to run,” Trippi told TheDC. “I do not know how serious he is though. I think Hillary Clinton casts a shadow over any potential Democrats including Dean if she decides to run in 2016. If she doesn’t run Howard Dean would be a very strong contender for the nomination.” …

“I am not driven by my own ambition,” Dean said. “What I am driven by is pushing the country in a direction that it desperately needs to be pushed; pushing other politicians who aren’t quite as frank as I am who need to be more candid with the American people about what needs to happen. I am not trying to hedge, it’s a hard job running. It’s really tough. I am doing a lot of things I really enjoy. But you should never say never in this business.”

It might be fun to snark at the idea, but don’t laugh too hard … at least not if you’re a Democrat. Dean may have imploded on his first attempt — and it was the debate before the scream that did him in, not the lame attempt to jolly up his Iowa loss — but most presidential nominees take a couple of attempts to really become effective. Obviously that wasn’t true of Barack Obama, but I’m not sure that wasn’t the original intent when Obama kicked off his campaign in 2007, either, with Hillary Clinton looking like a lock on the nomination. The only Republican nominee in a generation not to need two tries before winning the nod was George W. Bush, for example.

Furthermore, Dean represents a real threat to Hillary Clinton. He served three times as governor of Vermont, and also successfully led the Democratic National Committee to recapturing control of Congress in 2006 and the presidency in 2008. Dean has the executive experience Clinton lacked before becoming Secretary of State, where her record will be a burden rather than a boon on the resumé. As DNC chair, Dean made connections with all of the state party organizations and donors on a level that Clinton may not be able to duplicate — plus proved that he could build a national organization without those connections, too.

Dean’s problem in a general election will be that he will need to run to Hillary’s left to win the nomination. It’s also going to be tough to win in the general after eight years of Obama and no particular compelling narrative for continued Democratic governance, especially with the way ObamaCare is rolling out. He’s also going to be 68 years old at that time, and almost all of the Republican potential nominees will be much younger and more a part of current politics than past — a problem Hillary will also have. However, Dean may be exactly the kind of candidate who can derail Hillary a second time on the way to the nomination.

This is what the Democrat Party truly needs…two, not one, but two, crazy old uncles just making a mess of Thanksgiving dinner…while that angry old aunt nobody really likes but everybody is nice to because she knows where all the money is pontificates about “family” and we have to listen because she is the angry old aunt.

Howie, make sure they don’t make you sit at the kids’ table this time around.

Biden?

For all that is holy, just keep him away from the little kids, entirely.

A “couple of attempts” is generally more of a rule for Republican nominations though. Democrats usually want the next big thing. Bubba didn’t have a previous attempt. Neither did Carter, or even Dukakis and Kerry. Biden recovered to become VP, but had absolutely no traction in the Presidential primaries.

I similarly suspect Dean would be old news compared to an O’Malley, Hickenlooper, Andy Cuomo, Girl-Schumerllibrand… what I don’t get is why people don’t understand the same holds for Hillary.

He’s also going to be 68 years old at that time, and almost all of the Republican potential nominees will be much younger and more a part of current politics than past — a problem Hillary will also have.

It is another thing entirely to have a bastard child by a woman working on your campaign, using campaign funds to pay her off, having your aide lie about the paternity, and leaving your cancer-stricken wife.

The reason why Edwards isn’t a contender is that he has even more baggage than Killary.

Dean is popular with the gentry liberals. But he’s the wrong skin color for everyone else. Hillary was denied once, and will likely not be denied again. It was Kerry’s “hippie punching” of Howard Dean that in part ensured Kerry’s subsequent loss in 2004.

I dont think a strong democratic contender facing off against Hillary need run to her left or right in particular. I think a string democratic contender simply needs to pit their list accomplishments against hers, and constantly reiterate that its a choice between the incompetence Hilary displayed as secstate or the competence that he/she displayed at their office.
This will be very effective.

Dean, like the rest of the Dhimmicrats, is a big gov Statist (redundant?) But am I the only one here who doesn’t think his “scream” was that big of a deal? Even the clip above didn’t seem that out of place…as far as shyster politicians go…jus sayin

Speaking of Hillary (since every story is really about Hillary), stunning comments from Camille Paglia in Salon (emphasis is mine):

She has more sooty baggage than a 90-car freight train. And what exactly has she ever accomplished — beyond bullishly covering for her philandering husband? She’s certainly busy, busy and ever on the move — with the tunnel-vision workaholism of someone trying to blot out uncomfortable private thoughts.

I for one think it was a very big deal that our ambassador was murdered in Benghazi. In saying “I take responsibility” for it as secretary of state, Hillary should have resigned immediately. The weak response by the Obama administration to that tragedy has given a huge opening to Republicans in the next presidential election. The impression has been amply given that Benghazi was treated as a public relations matter to massage rather than as the major and outrageous attack on the U.S. that it was.

I find it interesting that Dean will have been out of political office for 12 years and out of politics for 8 years by the 2016 election, yet nobody including Ed thought it was worth mentioning. Hmmmmmm.